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Latin Studies Inspire First of 2019 PDS Service Learning Partnerships

Jan102019 2:51PM

Students in Nicole Mangino's Latin I class recently learned about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii and the smaller city of Herculaneum, which is often overlooked. Among their findings: While it is beautiful and well-preserved because it had been sealed by mud after the eruption, Herculaneum is not well-protected, and lacks the necessary funding for upkeep and additional excavation.

Middle and Upper School students partnered to host a bake sale to benefit the Herculaneum Conservation Project. They reached out to the project's director and internationally acclaimed historian and documentarian, Dr. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, and learned that the funds raised in efforts like ours make a tangible difference by helping provide research grants for restoration and exploration of the ruins. In the run-up to the bake sale, Latin students educated the PDS community with a series of videos and fact-filled posters displayed throughout the School.

This effort on behalf of Herculaneum is the first of some exciting service learning partnerships between Upper and Middle School students this month. Next week, the Service Da Vinci group will raise awareness and funds to benefit the Watershed here in our own backyard!

Learn more about Service Learning at Princeton Day School here. -Justin Goldberg